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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Completed I-Spy Strip Quilt

It's done!I actually finished it last Friday night. I got all obsessed and put together the back, quilted, and bound it all that evening! It was a late night -- but so worth it!

After counting there is a total of 76 DIFFERENT I-Spy fabrics in this quilt -- ALL SCRAPS!

After staring at the photos from my last post multiple times and reading all your comments and suggestions (thank you!) I ultimately decided I liked it ending with the colorful I-Spy borders.

For the back I dug out a few options for fabrics I had on hand. There were three "I-Spy-ish" options, but I liked this funny dog print best for theme and for color. I had 1 1/2 yards of it, and needed just a few more inches -- so HOORAY, I got to paw through more of my I-Spy scraps! :o) I created a long strip to set in, and laid it on top of the backing to see how it looked. All those spies got lost in the print! So, I looked around and found I had a couple strips of black scrap fabric sitting on my cutting table. It was destiny! They frame the strip of spies just right, and give them some POP.

I really wanted to have a nice crisp finished edge, but I still wanted to stay with the I-Spy theme. Black fabric with tiny white paw prints! It's a very narrow binding (had to squeeze it out of the fabric), and I love how it finishes the quilt.

This quilt has been SO MUCH FUN to make! I truly enjoy embarking on projects without a finished product in mind; it really tickles and stretches the creative part of my brain in a way that starting with a plan just can't!

I counted carefully, and there is a total of 76 DIFFERENT I-Spy fabrics in this quilt -- ALL SCRAPS! I had everything on hand -- with the exception of that binding, which cost about $1.50 (a necessary expense; it's too perfect!). Even the batting was a leftover scrap. TRIUMPH! :o)

It's great! A little of this and a little of that and you have a masterpiece. I have a 9 month old great-grandbaby who gets excited over her quilts and kicks her little legs. She'd get plenty of exercise over your quilt.

I keep meaning to tell you this, so you get it in a comment. You know on the 1st quilt ever project how so many of us had our squares turn out just a little small, consistently? I think they were 1/2 inch smaller or so. I think that we all may have assumed that the standard foot on our machine was 1/4 inch. It's 3/8 inch. Just 1/8 wider may have thrown everything off. Just a thought for you :)